Other than when I order Kung Pao, and outside of a few trips here and there to Vegas with the lads, I never, ever gamble. But it’s that time of year when the investment community gets interested, meaning I spend half of my Fridays as a guest on various radio shows giving picks – and half of some Mondays having to eat it – and the other half answering a slew of texts and emails looking for any late nuggets and insight.

If you choose to dabble, welcome to my Friday advice and thoughts stemming from all the questions I’ve been asked throughout the day. If someday during my presidential campaign I’m being asked what was in my 30,000 destroyed and deleted emails, here you go …

– Weeknight college football games are notoriously flaky, but Syracuse at home in that dome and that environment on a Friday night is a dangerous team getting 15 against Louisville. You’re never insane to go with the double digit home dog in a conference showdown.

– It’s Maryland. It’s Florida International. You know what to do.

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Whoa!

– TCU is scary in so many ways. If the run defense is as bad as it was in Week One, Arkansas -7.5 might be a gift. Don’t get scared off by the Hogs rough outing against Louisiana Tech, but the Horned Frogs just might be that much better if that offense rolls early. This should be a shootout.

– Ohio lost at home against Texas State, but it’s still probably going to win the MAC East. If you really like Kansas as a favorite and it doesn’t work out, that’s on you.

– Michigan’s defense might pitch back-to-back touchdown shutouts. UCF is better than it was last year, but the Wolverine D is going to make a second straight statement after only giving up a field goal against Hawaii.

– If Missouri can’t come up with a brutally ugly blowout at home against Eastern Michigan – even a veteran Eastern Michigan team – that’s a problem.

– The Penn State-Pitt line dropped fast. Pit was around a touchdown favorite, and now it’s around 4.5. Pitt won’t run the ball a lick, and there’s no way the two teams combine for 47.5 in a low-scoring slugfest. Don’t get caught up in the first matchup since 2000 aspect – the players don’t care about the rivalry.

– How did Oklahoma respond after losing to Texas last year? Oklahoma 55, Kansas State 0. And you’re worried about giving up 46.5 points to ULM?

– What about Wisconsin’s defensive performance against an NFL-loaded – except at quarterback – LSU offense leads you to believe that Akron can stay within 23.5 points?

– If you know anything about how East Carolina rolls as a school, a football program, and a mindset – especially after getting jilted in the Big 12 thing – you’ll want nothing to do with the game against NC State.

– Tulsa will score on Ohio State.

– Northern Illinois is way too flaky to touch. The same team that just lost to Wyoming could figure out the running game again on the flight to South Florida.

– Did you see any bit of the Wake Forest 7-3 win over Tulane? Are you going to trust a backup Duke quarterback? Move on.

– Sunday night against Notre Dame was for the Texas offense, Saturday against UTEP is for the Texas defense.

– That Auburn offense isn’t going to work against Arkansas State, either.

– If it’s possible for Colorado State to cover the ten-point spread at home against UTSA after one drive, it will.

– Shhhhhhh. No one wants to hear this, but Southern Miss might have beaten Florida last week, too. 16 points are a whole lot to give away to Kentucky against a Gator team that still doesn’t have an offense.

– Yeah, Notre Dame’s defense looked rocky against Texas – Texas has a powerful offensive system. Yeah, Nevada’s offense was flaky in the opener – that’s sort of what Nevada’s going to be this year. Watch the game for the pure enjoyment of college football. That’s it.

– Middle Tennessee is going to beat Vanderbilt.

– Washington destroyed Rutgers last week when the running game didn’t work. The running game is going to work against Idaho.

– Let me put it this way. If Tennessee is really going to be a thing this season, it had better beat Virginia Tech by a few touchdowns.

– If you put one dime down on South Carolina vs. Mississippi State, you’re guessing. Speaking of the Bulldogs …

– Don’t fall for the South Alabama shocker. Georgia Southern is fantastic, even with the new coaching staff.

– Don’t blow off 1) just how much Baylor wants to keep making a statement and 2) just how much the alumni and boosters really want a total wipeout annihilation of SMU.

– Let me put it this way, part two. If Iowa is going to be a thing this season – rivalry, schmivalry – it had better beat Iowa State by more than 15.

– Gut feeling time – Nebraska is quietly going to come up with another easy peasy win over a Mountain West team. Wyoming is far better this season, but the Huskers will roll without much of a problem.

– Boise State and Washington State could combine for 74 points in the first half – I’m only 67% joking.

– Totally blowing off everything I know and believe, I have an unnatural thing for this UNLV team. Johnny Vegas – a.k.a. UNLV QB Johnny Stanton – will be the story of the UCLA game.

– Cal’s defense might not make a tackle the entire game against the San Diego State running attack.

AND FINALLY …

– I know it’s a rivalry. I know it’s in-state. I know it’s on the road. I know I must be missing something the rest of the world knows. But New Mexico -12.5 against a Larry Rose III-less New Mexico State might be off by at least ten points.